PC Journal: After second o.t. loss, Friars need to rebound quickly

PROVIDENCE — The season is just shy of being halfway complete, but the Providence Friars have hit a frustrating, painful stretch that could quickly morph into crisis mode.There is nothing like close defeats...

PROVIDENCE — The season is just shy of being halfway complete, but the Providence Friars have hit a frustrating, painful stretch that could quickly morph into crisis mode.

There is nothing like close defeats that send coaches and players into a tizzy, and the Friars have just lived through two in a row. First came a 69-67 overtime loss at No. 23 Massachusetts, where the Friars simply needed to grab a defensive rebound in order to keep the game alive. Then came Tuesday’s Big East opener where two turnovers in the final eight seconds opened the door for Seton Hall to swoop into town and give the Friars their first loss of the season at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

“We’re finding ways to lose games so I have to do a better job. I have to continue to keep our kids positive,” said dejected coach Ed Cooley. “We’ve had two very, very emotional losses, back-to-back in overtime. I’m going to make sure to stay positive with our players.”

Cooley has little choice, of course. The season may still be young and the Friars own a 10-4 record, but a look at the upcoming Big East schedule is either scary or a great opportunity. The Friars travel to play at No. 8 Villanova on Sunday and then begin a stretch of four games at home in the next five. Those four come versus Georgetown and then the three Big East newcomers, Creighton, Butler and Xavier.

Protecting home court is an absolute necessity for the Friars, or any college basketball team. PC finished 14-4 at The Dunk last season on the way to an NIT berth.

“Obviously I’m very, very disappointed in the loss. I’m dejected for our kids,” Cooley said. “We have to find a way not to get down. This is the second game in a row where we’ve been down double digits and found a way to get back in the game.

Leaving it all on the floor

Friar fans can’t say enough good things about Bryce Cotton. The Big East’s second leading scorer is carrying an inhuman load for the Friars as he tries to make up for the loss of both Kris Dunn (shoulder) and Brandon Austin (season-long suspension).

Cotton, who averages 20 points a game, played all 45 minutes in the overtime loss at UMass on Saturday. Three days later, the 6-1 guard went all 50 in a double o.t. defeat to Seton Hall. He poured in 24 points with five assists against the Minutemen and bounced back with 25 points and five assists against the Pirates.

Cotton was actually held in check for the first 20 minutes Tuesday. The Hall shadowed his every move but he also appeared more willing to involve his teammates on the way to two points on 1-of-4 shooting. But when his team fell behind by a dozen points, Cotton turned on the jets. He shot 3-of-11 in the first 40 minutes but was 5-of-6 in the two overtimes. He had several great shots, none of which was any sweeter than a high-arching scoop shot off the glass and in early in the second extra session.

“I think Bryce is one of the top two or three players in our league,” Cooley said. “This is just who we are. He’s trying to get guys into rhythm. He’s not a natural point guard but is developing into one. It’s not like we have a lot of playmakers on the floor. He’s doing a lot. He’s Superman right now for us.”

Pirates getting healthier

It’s been a long opening two months of the season for Seton Hall on the injury front but there is now light at the end of the tunnel for coach Kevin Willard.

The only regular the Pirates didn’t have at their disposal for the Big East opener against PC was center Eugene Teague. He took a scary fall in the Hall’s previous game against Lafayette and suffered a concussion. He could be back sometime next week, or perhaps even a game Saturday against Creighton.

The rest of the Pirates were ready to go for league play. Fuquan Edwin (ankle), Sterling Gibbs (right knee) and Patrik Auda (foot) had all missed games in the first two months of the season. That lineup inconsistency certainly helped cause tough losses to St. Peter’s and Fairleigh Dickinson.

“We’ve had some injuries that have prevented us from coming together as a team. We’ve had to adjust a lot to protect people,” Willard said.

Austin remains off-campus

Austin has still not returned to campus since leaving before Christmas. Cooley has said the suspended freshman guard is talking with his family and advisors and it’s now become clear that he is weighing a transfer to another school. There is no timetable for a resolution, but the Friar family is heading to Austin’s hometown of Philadelphia this weekend for a game at Villanova. … PC is asking its fans to stand and cheer until the home team scores a field goal at the start of each game. That’s been a long-standing tradition at other schools, including Connecticut and Syracuse. The PC fans responded nicely on Tuesday before Josh Fortune hit a 3-pointer at the 18:31 mark of the first half. … PC has now dropped its opening Big East game five years in a row and nine of the last 11 seasons.